Ignition



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Apr. 26,1921.

E. T. WARNER. IGNITION E. T. WARNER.

IGNITIONx APPLICATION FILED .I'AN. 6. 1920 Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

XGNITION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 192i.

Application filed January 6. 1920. Serial No. 349.75531.Y

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, EDGAR T. WARNER, a citi/aen of the United States of America, residing in the town of St. Michaels, State of lt/laryland, have invented certain new and useful lmprovementsin lgnition, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to an ignition system for internal combustion engines. Electrical ignition has practically superseded all others Where flexibility is desirable, but where cheapness of operation, and simplicity and consequent lo'W cost of maintenance are primary requisites, the employment of electricity, particularly in stationary engines Where low grade of fuel is used, is a considerable item either in the matter of the cost of an eflicient system or the maintenance of a cheap one.

The object of theinvention is to provide as a substitute for electrical and other types ition, an ignition system which is of the simplest construction so that it cannot get out of order and which is at the same time capable of being installed at a very low cost and maintained and operated practially Without expense.

rlhe ignition system which is the subject of the invention is of the hot plug or hot spot type. known to the art, but as previously used it has not been so satisfactory as to be considered a commercial success according to mod-v ern standards. lhen operated Without cool'- ing they cause preignition or destructive distillation of the fuel, and are of very short life on account of burning of the metal, and such attempts as have been made to operate them in connection with a cooling means have been unsatisfactory. litotablyk cooling has been accomplished by the injection of iva er into the combustion space. rlfhis has been found objectionable and Wholly unsatis factory because the Water has a tendency to get into the clearance between the piston and the cylinder Wall, expelling the lubrieating fluid or cessive Wear which soon makes the plant inoperative.

rl`he invention comprises a water jacketed hot spot plug, With means providing for heating the same preliminarily in starting and means for draining the jacket While heating, the same being in some forms of the invention combined with a particular type of fuel feed.

'lhis type of ignition is vnot unj cylinder oil and causing eX- ln the preferred form of the invention as shown the hotspot plug has a Water jacket adjacent the 4surface with an inner chamber to afford access to the metal of which the plug is formed at a point adjacent the ignition surface, so that the plug may be heated from Within for the purpose of starting, the circulation being cut od for this purpose and the jacket preferably drained.

As shown, the plug is used in combination with means for feeding compressed air to the combustion space at the time the burnt charge is being exhausted, the fuel being fed to the heated surface of the plug preferably when the valves are closed impact against the hot surface giving just sufficient heating,

vaporization and mixing of the charge With the air.

ln the accompanying drawing l have illustrated a stationary engine arranged in accordance With my invention, and the details of a hot spot plug which is a feature of the same.

l'gure l is a vertical central section of the engine. ,j

F 2 is a longitudinal section of the plus.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3, 3 of F ig. 2. i

Fig. e is an elevation of the point or 0perative end of the plug.

Referringl tothe drawings by numerals, the engine structure disclosed in Fig. 1 is of the two cycletype including a cylinder casting l and crank case 2 with a piston 3, c0nnecting rode and fly Wheel 5. Air is supplied to the crank case by Way of asuitable passage 7 controlled by'a throttle 8 from the crank case. The air passes from the crank case to the cylinder or combustion space by Way of a passage 9 and port l() in the cylinder Wall, the same being controlled by the piston which covers and uncovers it at the proper periods according to regular two cyclel engine practice. The exhaust portl 11 on the opposite side of the cylinder is simi larly controlled. i

An important feature ofthe invention re sides in the ignition plug l2 referred to herein as hot spot plug. rlhis plug as shovvn in detail in Figs. 2 and 3 is preferably made with a central chamber at le, the saine being open at the head or exposed end of the plug atli, and preferably having a baille 16 spaced from the inner end of the plug at 17 to provide a heating passage 18 so that a blow torch applied at one end of the passage sets up a circulating draft about the baille, raising the temperature of the plug in the shortest possible time and with the least expenditure of fuel. The plug as shown has a water jacket 19 adjacent the surface, the same beingshown in the form of a narrow passage substantially of a U-sliape which enters the plug at one side at 20, being fed by a suitable feed pipe 2l, crosses the head of the plug at 22 and leaves the plug` at 23, being con: nected to a suitable return pipe 2l. The pipes 2l and 24 form part of the regular circulating cooling system which includes a jacket 25 with supply and return pipes 2G and 27, to which pipes 26 and 27 'the plug feed pipe 2l and return pipe 2li are connected respectively. The sidesr of the plug are cut away at 34 near the end to reduce the surplus metal and increase the cooling and heating efficiency. lThe pipe 2l includes arthree-way valve 2S by which the water supply may be cut off and drained at will by inea-ns of a drain pipe 29. lt also in cludes a regulating valve 30, and the return pipe 24 includes a shut-off valve 31.

ln the form of the invention shown, the fuel, preferably heavy oil under pressure, is fed to the cylinder by way of a nozzle or fuel supply pipe 32, the same being preferably directed against the hot spot plug l2 for purposes of vaporization and ignition. lt will be noted by examination of Fig. l that the rear end of the plug is seated in the cylinder wall, having its circumferences 36, 37 formed to tit the opening 38 of correspondingdiameters in the cylinder wall. This end of the plug has a casing- 39 to inclose the heating chamber le, ing as a support for the baffle i6 and having an vopeningel() with a cover ll for the insertion of the blow torch in heating the passage, This cover is apertured to receive the ignition plug cooling` circulation pipes 2l and 24.

ln operation air is, as already pointed out, drawn into the crank case by way'of the passage 7 which is fitted with a suitable non-return valve 35, and being compressed in the crank case, is forced into the cylinder at'the end of the stroke, cooling the cylinder, driving out the burned charge through the exhaustvport 1l which is open at this time, and supplying air for the combustion of the next charge.' As the ,piston returns the olf.L replaced by air and the valves closed, fue] is sprayed by way of the pipe 32 against the plug l2. This is suitably vaporized by the heat of the plug or where vaporisation isY impossible, is at least atomized, and when necessary compression is reached,

tee same servcharge, haif'ing been driven out and the charge is ignited, producing the power stroke.

When the engine is hot it will start without difliculty. ln starting when cold the water is withdrawn from the plug jacket by closing shut-off valve 3l and turning the valve 28, and the plug is heated by means of a blow torch applied to the passage i8, setting up a circulation of the hot products of combustion through this passagearound the baille 16.

After starting, the threeeway valve 28 is turned to permit the entrance of water into the plug jacket, and the flow of water is controlled by means of the regulating valves 30 and 3l. rllhese are preferably set once for all to give the desired circulation, and their position is not changed during starting and stopping.

The invention resides particularly in the heatl retaining, vaporizing and ignition device with provision for reducing and regulating the temperature ofthe same to prevent destruction of the ignition device by overheating and to maintain the desired temperature for treating the charge in order to bring it to the desired condition particularly as to temgjierature and distribution for lcombustion and to ignite it in proper sequence.

.l have thus described a structure cmbodying my invention specifically and in detail in order that its nature and operation may be clearly understood; howeif'er, the specific terms herein are used in descriptive rather than in afliiniting` sense.l tbe scoperof the invention being dened in the claims.

`What l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A heat retaining ignition member in the form of a plug` projecting` into the combustion space, theY plug operating to ignite the .new charge by means of the heat retained from the combustion of the preceding` charge, the plee` having passage of small cross-section for eenling iluid, means for regulating the flow of the fluid through the passage, and chamber vitl'i an external opening whereby applied to raise the y nition member in startin having an intermediate l ilnid heat carryi the ivallsvof the heating chamber.

Signed by me at St. .Michaela Maryland, this 15th day of September, i919.

EDGAR T. WARNER ature of the igthe chamber Aie to direct a Witnesses Y A. Ddl. Monats, Graoa H. BARNES.

' means beV medium in contact with 

